The Life-giving Power Of God's Mercy

The previous conclusion or therefore was an admonition, based upon the Law of God. Do this, do that, said the author, and you'll see some amazing things. It did not, however, offer the motivating power and energy to pull off such a life style. One doesn't help people to grow and change merely by threats and punishment. All that does is get their attention—and some temporary changes. The real spiritual power comes through the love of Jesus. This is why the Hebrews writer says,

For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned." Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I tremble with fear." - Hebrews 12:18-21 ESV

The reference, of course, is to the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai (Exod. 19:1-23:33). It was a very frightening scene, with all the thunder, lightning and blaring of trumpets. Who wouldn't be scared? But, says the writer, that's not the mountain we've come to. No indeed. We've come to . . .

Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. - Hebrews 12:22-24 ESV

Here we encounter grace and undeserved mercy, all because Jesus has completed and fulfilled all that the bloody sacrifices of the Old Covenant pointed to. He is the mediator of a new covenant. His sprinkled blood, poured out on the altar of the cross of Calvary, shouts forever forgiveness, freedom and life for all who will accept it. It does not bring judgment, but rather justification.

This leads to the second great conclusion, the second therefore. 

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, - Hebrews 12:28 ESV

The shaking refers to this earth. God shook the earth once when He came down to Mount Sinai to pronounce judgment upon all who reject His commandments. The prophets announced again and again that there will be a final judgment day, a final shake-up of everything! At that time earth and heaven will pass away (Isaiah 13:13) and all will stand before the Judge who will separate the sheep from the goats, His children from those who have rejected Him (Matt. 25:31-34).

Therefore, says the Hebrews writer, be grateful, be excited and look ahead to what is coming. And let that be the motivation for the pursuit of a God-like, a godly, holy life.  And for those who question and doubt these words, listen again to a warning:

Our God is a consuming fire. - Hebrews 12:29 ESV (see also Isaiah 66:15). 

Pursuing The Christ Life

In the past couple blogs we've been looking at the issue of how the LORD disciplines his newborn children in Christ. We've been reminded of the sometimes harsh nature of that training and the resulting growth in faith and life it brings. Having explained this the Hebrews writer draws a couple conclusions, a couple therefores. Here's the first:

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. - Hebrews 12:12-17 ESV

Sounds like some football coaches I know. When the team is exhausted by the drills, with sweat pouring from every pore, he yells, "OK, sissies, ten more laps around the field!" That's what the LORD does with us at times. He pushes us beyond, making demands upon us to do things we absolutely are convinced are impossible.

"OK, sissies, weaklings, sinners! pick 'em up. Straighten those knees. Stand up and walk on you own two feet. It hurts? So what? Work through the pain. That's the only way to maturity, to wholeness, to becoming the man or woman you are called to be. 

"So you don't like that person with whom you've been quarreling. So she's mean, childish, narrow-minded. So? Get with the program. Your task is the pursue, chase after and grab hold of harmony, oneness with everybody, yes even with her. If you believe you are more mature than she is, act like it! Grow up! 

"And quit acting like the baby you once were. Remember how you used to pout and cry when things didn't go your way? Remember how you started a fight or crawled off into a corner to feel oh so sorry for yourself? Well, that was childish living. It only leads to more trouble.

"Holiness! That's the aim, the goal, the program. I want you to be holy, just as your heavenly Father is holy (Lev. 19:2). Consider again the words of the Apostle: 

'I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.'" - 1Cor 1:10 ESV 

Here's the secret. When you pursue the LORD's manner of living, when you submit to a life of forgiveness, forgiving even as we are constantly forgiven in Christ, then an amazing thing opens up. We begin to see God's grace at work. This business of love and mercy generates new life and love in the hearts of others. Getting even, running away, feeling sorry for yourself, etc., etc. only does the opposite. It only plants what the writer calls a "root of bitterness" that springs up, grows and causes even more trouble. Want an example from the Bible? Consider Jacob and Esau (Gen. 25:1-34; 27:1-28:10).

These two brothers, fraternal twins, never seemed to get along. Their talents and interests went in different directions from childhood. And they quarreled. And their parents chose favorites. Mama chose Jacob. Papa chose Esau. Stupid way to parent. Only caused more trouble. And Jacob lived up to his name, the trickster! He was smarter and sneakier than his brother. Mama encouraged him. And it led to more trouble. Read the story. Consider the example. Consider what happened to Esau and how he threw away his one chance for his father's inheritance and blessings.

That's what happens in life. The LORD gives us an opportunity. We waste it. It never comes again. Your choice. You allowed your sinful nature to take over. Think about it.

There's more in this chapter. We'll consider it next time.

I Am He Whom Thou Seekest

I was never much of a runner. The sport of competing against other runners never interested me. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I'm not very fast in the first place. But I have had some very good times playing other sports and I know that for many of them you have to strip down so that your ordinary street clothes don't get in the way. That's the image the Hebrew writer borrows as he opens chapter twelve with these words:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV

His therefore connects us to the previous chapter's parade of men and women who walked in faith, but did not receive the better country they longed for. They are for us a great cloud of witnesses. In spite of their numerous frustrations, losses, grief and pain they did not give up their faith. They continued to believe that the LORD would one day somehow fulfill His promises. They surround us with their faith. They are our surrounding cloud. We live and breath their witness and are thus encouraged.

Therefore let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run the race that is set before us. 

Consider what he is saying.

Faith is not wishful thinking or whistling in the dark or crossing your fingers superstitiously. Faith is putting your trust in a person, a particular PERSON whom you are totally and completely convinced is able to and will keep  his promises. There is power in that relationship. The whole Bible is filled with stories of men and women who had this person to PERSON relationship with their LORD. The Hebrews writer has just been pointing to them.

A personal note here. I can still vividly remember how I was ushered into such a relationship during my final college year. I had already committed myself to preparing for the pastoral ministry, but I had deep-seated doubts. I was not convinced that the LORD wanted or even offered such a relationship. Yes, I knew many objective facts about Jesus, His birth, life, suffering, death and resurrection. But somehow I wanted more. I wanted to meet Him face to face, person to person. I was, in truth, running from Him. For a long time I was the young man Francis Thompson describes in his moving poem, The Hound of Heaven.

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;

I fled Him, down the arches of the years;

I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways

Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter.

Up vistaed hopes, I sped;

And shot, precipitated,

Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,

From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.

But with unhurrying chase,

And unperturbèd pace,

Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,

They beat—and a Voice beat

More instant than the Feet—

"All things betray thee, who betrayest Me."

And then one day He found me, found me in the writings of C S Lewis, a man to whom I and thousands of others owe an eternal debt. My LORD took the Gospel and spoke it to me in the words of Lewis' stories. 

I can only pray that one day you too, my friend, will also stop running away from Him and find yourself surrounded not only with a cloud of witnesses, but also with that eternal cloud of His love for you, the same love that drove Him from the halls of heaven to be born of a virgin and laid in a lowly manger in a tiny town called Bethlehem. There love waits us all. 

Francis Thompson put it like this, 

Now of that long pursuit

Comes on at hand the bruit;

That Voice is round me like a bursting sea:

"And is thy earth so marred,

Shattered in shard on shard?

Lo, all things fly thee, for thou fliest Me!

Strange, piteous, futile thing,

Wherefore should any set thee love apart?

Seeing none but I makes much of naught" (He said),

"And human love needs human meriting:

How hast thou merited—

Of all man's clotted clay the dingiest clot?

Alack, thou knowest not

How little worthy of any love thou art!

Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee,

Save Me, save only Me?

All which I took from thee I did but take,

Not for thy harms,

But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.

All which thy child's mistake

Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home:

Rise, clasp My hand, and come."

Halts by me that footfall:

Is my gloom, after all,

Shade of His hand, outstretched caressingly?

"Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,

I am He Whom thou seekest!

Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me."

Baby Christians Try To Live On Milk

Yesterday I wrote about Christ's suffering for all mankind, a very difficult topic. It is easy to say. Even little children can say, "Jesus died on the cross," but to grasp the implications and even begin to understand the meaning—that is another thing. So the Hebrews letter writer says,

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. - Hebrews 5:11-14 ESV

In fact, the writer goes into much detail in the next chapters, trying to explain. So let me try to explain the difference between the basic principles of the oracles of God—what he calls milk—and solid food. 
Lets start with milk. We'll be coming back to this again and again in the future.

Paul writes to the Corinthians about milk:

I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human? - 1Cor 3:2-4 ESV 

I've served congregations dealing with these issues. People line up behind one pastor and start mocking the other for what they consider his failures or weaknesses. The same thing happens between members of church staffs or church committees. Criticism, accusations, lies, complaints. Some examples.

"She made a pass at my husband."  

"He's been stealing from church funds for his own purposes."  

"We worked so hard at this project and she gets all the credit."

And on and on. Soon come notes and emails flying back and forth or phone calls, secret gatherings and special secret meetings! And then an all-out war of jealousy and strife.  This is what Paul means when he says, ". . . are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?"

Do you see the connection between what Paul is saying and the Hebrews writer? What are the basic principles of the oracles of God? Again, the baby or the baby-Christian can say, "Christ died for me," but what follows? What follows is what the Apostle John points to in his letter. Strife, jealousy, hate—this is of the devil. This is not how the new born child of God acts. The child of God rejoices in the fact that Christ died for sinners—and he seeks to follow in that path. He / she forgives as we all are forgiven in Christ. John writes,

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 

We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. - 1John 3:9-16 ESV

 Are you there yet? Look at your own heart. Do you still harbor jealousy, mockery, anger? Are you spreading stories, busily telling tales? Stop this instant. Stop and take a long, careful look at your own heart. How dare you pray our Lord's prayer, "Forgive us our debts," and then not follow up on your promise to forgive others their debts? You are still living on milk. And if you don't know how to deal with your feelings of hate and anger, here is another bit of counsel for you. Jealousy and strife are evidence of sickness in the body of Christ, of immaturity and childishness. If you are struggling with these issues it may well be time for you to visit with your pastor or elder.

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. - James 5:14-16 ESV

We'll go on to pursue maturity as we work our way deeper into this great letter to the Hebrews.

 

How We Know The Love Of God

One of the most popular Bible verses of all time, memorized in Sunday School by thousands of kids, is from the third chapter of John. With this blog I conclude my meditations upon that chapter by taking a careful look at what Jesus said to Nicodemus.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. - Jhn 3:16-17 ESV

Who or what is this world that God loves? The Greek word is kosmos, a word we are quite familiar with, only we spell it cosmos. By this we usually think of the universe as a well-ordered whole. In the original Greek kosmos was also an ornament or decoration. Peter uses the word in that manner when he urges women to be less interested in outward adornment (kosmos) and more focused on the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:3-4).

A third use refers to the people who live in this world, the human race itself. So the apostle Paul writes that . . .

in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. - 2Cr 5:19 ESV

The word is used again and again with this meaning in John's Gospel. For instance, the Samaritans tell the woman who met Jesus at the well,

"It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." - Jhn 4:42 ESV

But this is also the world of people that despises the Savior and rejects the light and salvation he brings. Immediately following the verses quoted above in John 3, we hear Jesus say,

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. - Jhn 3:19-20 ESV

Jesus is the light of the world that loves the darkness. He is the one who gives sight to the blind (John 9:39; 12:46). His life and teachings expose the world and the ruler of this world who dwells in darkness. All through the Gospel of John we sense this conflict building. As in modern cowboy movies the drama moves steadily toward that final scene in which the good guy and the bad guy come face to face. It is like Moses coming before Pharaoh to demand that he let the children of Israel go.

Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'" - Exd 5:1 ESV

But this time it is not a mere messenger from the LORD. Oh no, it is the LORD Himself who has come to win freedom for His chosen people. Moses was given a glimpse of this when the LORD said,

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. - Deu 18:18 ESV

The good word this Prophet speaks is that God loves this world. He does not desire that it perish. This is why He sends His Son to save it. But to save it in a most peculiar manner. The cowboy with the white hat does not stand with his hand ready to draw his gun and drill a bullet into the heart of the dirty sheriff who has ruled the town for years. Instead he allows one of his own disciples to betray him into the hands of his enemies. And when they come for him in the garden Jesus says,

"Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness." - Luk 22:52-53 ESV

So the Son of God by whom all things were made, submits himself to them and to the power of darkness, the prince of the world, the spirit at work in the sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2). They condemn him, beat him and nail him to the cross. There, at about the ninth hour of that dark day, the Prophet shouts out the decisive word of the LORD.

"Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" - Mat 27:46 ESV, (Psalm 22:1)

Thus he saves the world, the entire world of men who live, have lived and ever will live. He does it not by killing this world's prince, but by being himself condemned and forsaken by God, by drawing the unspeakable burden of this world's sin upon himself until he finally can say,

"It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. - Jhn 19:30 ESV

The prince of this world lives on. Darkness is yet at work, but that final day is coming when that prince and all his minions will be cast out. For the Light has come, the Light of the world and whoever follows the risen Savior "will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). John pulls it all together in his beautiful letter, words with which I complete this brief study of John 3.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation (all atoning sacrifice) for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. - 1Jo 4:10-16 ESV

'Miracle' morgue baby improving in Argentina - Houston Chronicle

Did you see this wonderful story about the Lord of Creation's power to bring life out of death? How very appropriate to this Easter season. Analia Bouter named her newborn daughter Luz Milagros, or Miracle Light. She was born three months premature, was in critical condition last Wednesday, despite being pronounced stillborn on April 3. She is amazingly healthy for her age and has not needed oxygen or other support common to preemies.

"I'm a believer," mother Analia said. "All of this was a miracle from God."

'Miracle' morgue baby improving in Argentina - Houston Chronicle:

Bouter told the TeleNoticias TV channel in an interview Tuesday night that doctors gave her the death certificate just 20 minutes after the baby was born, and that she still hasn't received a birth certificate for her tiny girl. Bouter said the baby was quickly put in a coffin and taken to the morgue's refrigeration room. Twelve hours passed before she and her husband were able to open the coffin to say their last goodbyes. She said that's when the baby trembled. She thought it was her imagination — then she realized the little girl was alive and dropped to her knees on the morgue floor in shock. —Telam, Argentina's state news agency. 

Do you recall another little girl being brought to life?

And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Talitha cumi," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. -see Mark 5:22-42 ESV

We are ever amazed at the power and love of our LORD. His power is endless, as is His love. We only pray His blessings upon this tiny girl and upon her family.

When Being Married Hurts

Making a lifelong commitment is wonderful on your wedding day when you are in love. But then come the difficult days and 'this ain't fun no more'! In truth, divorce and getting out seems the only real alternative. But is it—really? The danger in those moments is to give up. Its not working out. It never will. Its too hard. There has to be another option.


There is. In faith a Christian couple takes hold of this promise: 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). 

To know is to trust in the promise of the Savior who has redeemed you both. With prayer and the help of fellow believers, perhaps your pastor and maybe even a professional counselor, the pain of your deteriorating relationship can be relieved. New ways of communicating can arise, new understandings. You can learn the meaning of forgiveness and patience.


We who have been married for a long time—in my own case over 50 years—know that it isn't always easy. The pressures and the temptations come from our own selfish and careless desires. They come from the godless and idolatrous world around us. They come from within the Christian community. They even come from our families—all too often, it seems. In those times our hearts scream out, "Get me out of here. Oh God, now!" But it seems that He doesn't hear. He ignores our prayers and leaves us to grapple and struggle with the situation.


Why? We love Him. Why does He leave us? Why doesn't He answer?


In those moments I urge you to take hold of His promise: all things work together for good.  All things? Yes, He is using even this for your good. In those moments we are with Jesus again in the Garden. "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." The wine was bitter. It was vinegar and He did not want to drink it. "Please, oh Father please. Must I?"


And then came the moment of submission. ". . . nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39). And in that nevertheless the path to our salvation became secure. He carried the grief of our rebellion and disobedience. He was willing to be separated from His Father. He was ready to endure the hell before Him. He was prepared to die.


That's what marriage is all about. In this relationship we are given, yes, we are gifted with an opportunity to be faithful to that one person in particular whom God has given to us. And in accepting that opportunity we are saying back to God that we believe in Him, that we trust Him. We are acknowledging that He is and always will be faithful to us and to all His children redeemed upon the cross. In marriage we have another opportunity to follow Him, another wondrous opportunity to share His redeeming love. That's why the Apostle writes these words,

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband" (Ephesians 5:31-33).

This is the pattern, the template, the model, the design for marriage. There is no other love like this anywhere. In forgiveness and in faith we learn about His love again and again. In forgiving our spouse and in accepting forgiveness for our own stupid failures, we rediscover what Paul writes about. We discover and rediscover time and time again the profound mystery of God loving us in Christ. Nothing, nothing at all can or ever will separate us from that love. This time of trouble cannot. Nor can our failures, our financial or physical distress, not even the danger of death we may have to face (Romans 8:38-39). In His love we discover the power and the strength to commit ourselves to the well being of our spouse and nothing short of death can break that bond.


Yes, I know. I'm speaking about an ideal that is not always there. Marriages, also marriages of Christians break up. Christians divorce. I need to say something about that another day. For now, think about what I have written. 

 

True Love Is Not Mere Lust

A couple days ago a man flying first class from Salt Lake City to Boston was caught gazing on child pornographic images. This is but one of countless examples of men and women seeking to satisfy sexual appetites without concern for a committed personal relationship. In such situations sex is reduced to mere lust. C.S. Lewis described the situation in The Four Loves:

We use a most unfortunate idiom when we say, of a lustful man prowling the streets, that he "wants a woman." Strictly speaking, a woman is just what he does not want. He wants a pleasure for which a woman happens to be the necessary piece of apparatus. How much he cares about the woman as such may be gauged by his attitude to her five minutes after fruition. One does not keep the carton after one has smoked the cigarettes.

Lewis goes on to say that modern society's focus on sex per se has led to the idolizing of sex. In that sense devotion to the old goddess of love has returned. Venus or Aphrodite or Freya or by whatever name this goddess was known still has millions of devoted worshipers. However, this is not mutual love. It is mere self-centered lust.


The ancient Greeks had a word for mutual love. They called it Eros. This type of love makes a man want a woman not as a piece of apparatus. No, he wants a particular woman for who she is. He wants to be her lover. If all goes well that particular woman wants that particular man in turn. She wants to be his lover. Thus the two become captive to one another. They want no other. They have discovered the mystery of life. It is this sweet mystery of life they celebrate. The mutual love implanted by their Creator into their very being is fulfilled. No longer is the man alone. No longer is the woman alone. The two have become one, flesh of flesh and bone of bone. Such love naturally leads them to promise to be faithful for life.


Marriage as a permanent institution flows from this love. This is the very definition of marriage, the lifelong union of one man and one woman. Yet in itself Eros is not enough to sustain marriage. Eros within us has been damaged and impaired by our sinful nature. It is all too easy to "fall out of love" and revert to that natural self-centered tendency within us all the Bible calls sin. So we create laws to protect and sustain marriage, even when that happens. But such laws are often powerless to do what they were designed to do and we must create yet other laws to contain the damage of quarreling, separation and divorce.


Only the selfless love of God revealed in Christ can renew and sustain Eros. The Apostle Paul speaks of this as submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21-33). In such love a husband and wife gain glimpses of an even deeper mystery, the eternal love of God that will be fulfilled in all of His children in the age to come. Of this the Apostle says, "This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church."


We will return to this later. Next time we will examine the second purpose of marriage: the procreation of children. 

The Relational Purpose of Marriage

The Bible knows what it means for a man and a woman to fall in love. The Song of Songs is an out and out love song. Samples: 

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine . . . His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me! . . . Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle or a young stag on cleft mountains.

 This Song is all about the "one flesh" union of love. It describes in detail the wondrous bond between husband and wife. And this is not mere friendship. It is erotic love in the context of commitment and marriage. And this is good, very good. Neither is alone any longer. This is why they were made, the very purpose of their existence. Barbra Streisand sings of this in a wedding song—

I've dreamed of you
Always feeling you were there
And all my life
I have searched for you everywhere
I caught your smile in the morning sun
I heard your whisper on the breeze of night
I prayed one day that your arms would hold me tight 

And just when I
Thought love had passed me by
We met
That first look in your eyes I can't forget
You melted me with your tender touch
I felt all fear and sorrow slip away
Now here we stand
Hand in hand
This blessed day

I promise you
As I give to you my heart
That nothing in this world
Shall keep us apart
Come happily ever after be
The man I'll love until the very end
I've dreamed of you my great love
And my best friend

For God must know
How I love you so
He's blessed us here today
As man and wife
Come dream with me
As I've dreamed of you
All my life

Though but a secular song, it is a reflection of Adam's loneliness in Genesis 2. All the creatures he named had mates, but there was none for him—until the deep sleep came upon him and the LORD took half of the man and made woman. Then He made Adam whole. And  overwhelmed with joy, Adam cried out, "At last! This is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh!" 

This is what sexual intercourse is meant to be. This is the most intimate sharing of self, an act the Bible calls knowing—"but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he (Joseph) called his name Jesus," Matt. 1:25. In this union partners come to know themselves even as they know the other. They know themselves in relation to each other. 

It is vital that we remember we speak here of mutual love, not mere lust. To settle for lust alone is to fall far short of the person to person relationship for which God has created us as man and as woman. To allow the sexual act to be merely the satisfaction of lustful appetite is to reduce us humans to the level of animals—though even they know of lifelong commitments. 

I'll continue this discussion next time to look in more detail at attempts to satisfy sexual urges outside of a lifelong commitment to the other. 

How Many Tongues Do You Speak?

We use the Internet for our phone service (Magic Jack). For some dumb reason last night I couldn't get it to work. Needing to be sure anyone with the number could call in, I tried to call my home number via my cell. Nada. Now what?

After messing around for a time, I decided to take the long-standing advice of my son, the president of Magic Jack and highly knowledgeable about computers. He always says, "When all else fails, reboot!" And voila! It worked.

"Now why was that?" my wife asked.
"How would I know?" I humbly replied. "I only speak a little computereze."

How many tongues do you speak? Fluently, that is. I know some Latin, some Greek and some Hebrew. I studied German and once took a class in Spanish, but fluent? Well, I'd better stick to English. Oh, yes, I overlooked the fact that I speak some theology, philosophy, psychology and even some history. Every discipline has its own language, i.e. computereze.

Reading Paul's counsel about pride and the ability to speak in a tongue no one knows, even if you're using that tongue to speak about godly matters:

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Corinthians 13:1). 

Wise counsel and much needed.

You Did It For Me

It is a bit uncommon for me to fill a pulpit on any given Sunday morning. That is my own choice, I suppose. Some classmates and friends are interim or vacancy pastors, still preaching every Sunday morning. Be that as it is, I am privileged to preach this Sunday, the final in the traditional church year. My sermon to the small congregation in Livingston, TX. is based upon the Gospel lesson from Matthew 25:31-46, the final separation of the righteous from the unrighteous. What struck me again about that lesson is the vision our LORD has for Christian community. Upon commending the righteous for their lives, He says,

"I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

They protest, indicating they didn't see Him. But He responds, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

All of their deeds of kindness, care and concern were in reality done to Him. In other words, the believer's entire life is one of response to the love we receive from Him. We love Him because He first loved us. "If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen" (1 John 4:18-20).

Note that the word 'brother' is used both by Jesus and by the Apostle John. John says that the brother in need is visible enough, even though God remains physically invisible. So if I love God who first loved me in Christ, the immediate way to love God is to love my brother. Earlier in the same chapter of his letter John writes, "if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

This points to that strange mystery about the church, the mystical body of Christ in the world. We are His body, hands, feet, eyes and ears. His Spirit lives in us. It is through us that He continues to teach, heal, serve and care. Consequently it is quite unthinkable that we do not love one another.

The word 'love' is, of course, the tricky word here. English speakers are bound to use the word love in all directions, whereas the Greeks of Jesus' day had four words available: agape, or spiritual love; storge, or familial love; philia, the love between friends; and the familiar eros, sexual love.

C.S. Lewis took all this apart in his well known work, The Four Loves, published by Harcourt in 1971. In it he points to the many ways by which familial, 'philial' and sexual love can be twisted from the purposes for which they were created. Yet all this changes when the 'agapic' love of Christ takes hold of one's life. Then you begin to love as you have been loved and in those very acts you are changed. As John wrote, "His love is made complete in us."

As we approach a national day of Thanks Giving, I give thanks that I have been called into this love of God so clearly seen in Christ Jesus. Consequently I have been and continue to be loved by my brothers and sisters in the great family of God. In turn I have family members all around who need and welcome my love. What a wonder. What a reason to give thanks indeed.

Our Family Enters A New Year With Thanksgiving

Last evening Cassie, my granddaughter, and I looked at the Christmas pictures stored on my computer. The photos took us back over the years, back to the times when we first began to gather here in Pagosa Springs. We remembered sharing Christmas gifts, worshipping at Our Savior Lutheran Church, skiing and hiking in the mountains, fishing in the streams and lakes, singing camp songs and roasting marsh-mellows around camp fires and hiking to water falls and overlooks. We've been coming here for more than a dozen years. When we finally built our vacation house here Cassie was a little girl. She's now a grown up young woman about to enter college.

When we built this house, Sylvia and I decided it was to serve as a place for the family to gather for fun and fellowship. Over these years it has been that, not only for our family, but also for many other families and friends. We consider this house and these times together as precious gifts of our Lord. In so many ways, we have seen His hand not only leading us here, but also blessing our times together.

It is good to remember that as another year comes to an end. It's also good to remember the importance of caring for our families. Here's how the Bible puts it:

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel (1 Timothy 5:8).

The Apostle Paul first spoke these words to young Pastor Timothy as part of an admonition to him to see that the widows of his congregation were properly cared for. That is the first application, but there are others. We all have an obligation to care for those who are of our own house.

We have a beautiful wooden plaque hanging over the door of our Pagosa house. It quotes the words of Joshua, the great leader of Israel following Moses. After admonishing his people to turn from the false gods of the people who occupied the Promised Land, he said, "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15).

That's the first thing Sylvia and I wanted to do as we set out to care for those of our house. We wanted them to know that we serve the Lord Jesus. By the word house (oikeios in Greek) the Apostle refers both to one's blood relatives and to those who are related because of being born anew into the spiritual family of God, the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). We wanted to establish a pattern, set an example, and build memories of how parents and families pray, worship and live together in Christ.

We haven't done that perfectly. We've made mistakes, sometimes spoken harshly to one another, been very critical of one another and forgotten the importance of providing encouragement and comfort. But we have loved one another and forgiven one another in spite of it all as we shared God's love and forgiveness in Christ. And that is what the Apostle is talking about in his admonition to Pastor Timothy.

Tonight we enter another year, the year of our Lord 2008. We enter it with thanksgiving and praise. We enter it anticipating that in this year Cassie will graduate from high school with honors, Patrick will graduate from university and go on to become an engineer and Shawn and Marian will become man and wife. What else the year holds we do not know. It may be the year Jesus calls another member of our family to be with Him in heaven. It may even be the final Year of this age when our Lord Jesus returns. What a wonderful thing that would be.

Whatever the year holds, we will remember that we are members of our family and members of the great, universal family of God. As we enter this year we give thanks to Jesus for coming to be born of Mary to be our Savior. In this year we will serve Him. And in this year we will provide especially for the members of our house.